England as a tourist is a wonderful and totally different experience. Arriving at the new St Pancras Station underlined how long it had been................It was still covered with scaffolding when we left London. The Shard was new too.
One the other hand Whitby hadn't changed at all. It couldn't really, with its narrow streets huddled around the estuary with the ruins of the Abbey on the cliff above. Lots of tea rooms, cafés and fish restaurants, a recurrent feature of this trip!
Whitby was a base for friends and family to visit and I was able to spend a day with my brother and his family in the village where I was born.
Birmingham was a complete change of pace..................traditional pubs and of course a curry.
While I was there I met a couple of my customers for the first time, Lisa, who makes truly gorgeous lampshades (I blogged about them here ) she sent me email about a new shop that had opened on the Great Western Arcade, it crossed with my email to her telling her about a new customer, Jenni, who had just opened a new shop..............so we finally got together with Jenni opening the shop especially on Sunday so that we could admire her creations.
Oh my goodness, it was inspirational. That heady mix of incredible creativity and beauty combined with meticulous skill and craftsmanship. I only took three photos before my battery went flat so didn't get to take a picture of Lisa, this means that we will have to meet up again very soon. Jenni's business is called Sparklewren and she makes corsets, but these are corsets that you would definitely want to show off, not hide beneath your clothes.
My photos don't do the corsets credit, but take at look at Jenni's website here . I don't get to wear formal gowns here, but if I ever do, I will be booking a fitting with Sparklewren straight away. I can dream.............
The final week was spent with my sister and her husband in Somerset. Lazy days by the sea, pretty little market towns and rolling green countryside. Teashops and restaurants playing a big part in each day of course!
One the other hand Whitby hadn't changed at all. It couldn't really, with its narrow streets huddled around the estuary with the ruins of the Abbey on the cliff above. Lots of tea rooms, cafés and fish restaurants, a recurrent feature of this trip!
Whitby was a base for friends and family to visit and I was able to spend a day with my brother and his family in the village where I was born.
These are some of his new herd of pedigree belted galloways. The little dun coloured heifer in the middle is very special, the first calf born on the farm she is called Swaleside Agnes after our mother.
My sister had also just adopted four hens that had been retired from a battery farm. They settled in unbelievably quickly and all of them began laying from the first day. Sadly two of them were taken by the badger that we had been delighted to spot wandering through the garden a couple of nights before! So sadly only Bunty and Wilma remain.
Birmingham was a complete change of pace..................traditional pubs and of course a curry.
While I was there I met a couple of my customers for the first time, Lisa, who makes truly gorgeous lampshades (I blogged about them here ) she sent me email about a new shop that had opened on the Great Western Arcade, it crossed with my email to her telling her about a new customer, Jenni, who had just opened a new shop..............so we finally got together with Jenni opening the shop especially on Sunday so that we could admire her creations.
My photos don't do the corsets credit, but take at look at Jenni's website here . I don't get to wear formal gowns here, but if I ever do, I will be booking a fitting with Sparklewren straight away. I can dream.............
The final week was spent with my sister and her husband in Somerset. Lazy days by the sea, pretty little market towns and rolling green countryside. Teashops and restaurants playing a big part in each day of course!
Lots of vintage shops and fairs too. I saw some beautiful things, although travelling by train did clip my wings a bit when it came to shopping. So my souvenirs are the wonderful memories. I was surprised that there were hardly any antique textiles, I only saw two embroidered sheets and they had come from France.
The were lots of memorable meals, including the traditional roast beef and fish and chips. But the prize has to go to a simple shack "Rachel's" on the harbourside in West Bay. Her husband is a fisherman and she serves superb fresh fish. A seafood platter consisted of a huge grilled fresh plaice, equally huge fresh scallops in their shell served in butter with just a hint of garlic, mussels in a creamy broth, a pile of freshly caught crab meat and prawns, this was served with hunks of crusty brown bread and cost £10! Washed down with a glass of white wine as the sun began to set was the stuff memories are made of.
It was lovely and funny seeing friends and relatives after such a long time, we are all getting older! Every new development seemed to be delayed while there was a collective hunt for reading glasses, it looks like hearing aids will be the next 'must have' accessory.
Arriving home I was greeted with a huge bouquet of flowers with the news that a home cooked meal was waiting. My neighbours were certain that the food in England wouldn't have been any good! Other neighbours had bought a teapot so that they can provide afternoon tea for "Les Anglais" so that we don't get homesick. So I have been in a highly emotional state for weeks, amazed at the kindness of friends and relatives while I was in England and then again at the generosity of my neighbours in France.
Much love and thanks to you all X
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